(1) Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with a machine for lasting side portions of shoes. The term shoe where used herein is used generically as indicating articles of outer footwear generally, and as including an article of outer footwear in the course of its manufacture.
(2) Prior Art
A machine for lasting side portions of shoes is commercially available, comprising a shoe support for supporting, bottom uppermost, a shoe comprising an upper mounted on a last and an insole on the bottom thereof, two side lasting assemblies, arranged one at either side of the last support, and two adhesive applying nozzles, relative movement taking place between the nozzles and the last support whereby adhesive can be applied by the nozzles progressively along opposite side portions of the shoe bottom prior to the operation of the lasting assemblies thereon. In said machine, furthermore, the shoe support comprises a heel support, toe end support means, including a toe end engaging member, movable towards the heel support to bring the toe end engaging member into an operative position, in which it is in engagement with the toe end of the shoe placed on the heel support, and abutment means including an abutment member which is located in relation to the shoe support according to the operative position of the toe end engaging member, a sensing member being mounted on the machine frame, for sliding movement relative thereto, whereby, as the last support is moved into an operative position, the sensing member is positioned in relation to the machine frame by engagement thereof by the abutment member. In the operation of the machine, furthermore, the relative movement between the nozzles and the last support is terminated and reversed by valve means actuated by actuator means therefor during such movement, the arrangement being such that said valve means and actuator means are mounted one on the sensing member and the other for movement relative thereto, as relative movement is effected between the nozzles and the last support as aforesaid. More specifically, in said machine, the shoe support is mounted for movement from a loading position to an operative position, and thereafter the shoe support is mounted on a carriage, which is movable to effect movement of the shoe support, with the shoe thereon, relative to the nozzles as aforesaid.
Each side lasting assembly of said machine, furthermore, comprises a lasting roll which is rotatable about an axis extending widthwise of the shoe bottom and comprises a wiping element disposed helically about the circumference thereof, each roll being arranged to track along a side portion of the shoe bottom immediately following the application of adhesive thereto by the nozzle associated with said lasting roll. The lasting rolls are again mounted on the machine frame and movement of the carriage on which the shoe support is mounted is effective to cause relative movement to take place between the lasting rolls and the shoe bottom. The machine also comprises control means whereby the angular relationship between each lasting roll and the shoe bottom can be varied, to accommodate changes in the control of the shoe bottom. Furthermore, it has been proposed in such a machine that the nozzles and lasting rolls be mounted on a carriage for movement in a direction extending widthwise of the shoe bottom to be operated upon, whereby to control the initial position of the nozzles, widthwise of the shoe bottom, prior to being brought into engagement with the shoe bottom, and also it has been proposed that the speed of relative movement between the shoe support and the nozzles and lasting rolls in a direction extending lengthwise of the shoe bottom be varied during the course of such movement, thus to enable a more uniform amount of adhesive to be applied, depending upon the contour of the shoe bottom, and be more reliably lasted by the lasting rolls.
In the commercially available machine, furthermore, the variation of the angular relationship between the lasting rolls and the shoe bottom is arranged to take place at the ball region of the shoe, and it will be appreciated that the position of the ball region of the shoe on the shoe support varies proportionately with the overall length of the shoe. To this end, the position of the abutment member on the shoe support is such that it moves proportionately to the toe end engaging member, in a relationship equivalent to the proportionate variation of the ball region in relation to the shoe length. For positioning the nozzle at the start of their operation, on the other hand, this is a fixed distance from the toe end of the shoe, according to the size of toe lasting plate which has been used in a previous toe lasting operation. Consequently, it is not desired that the nozzle-start position be determined as a proportion of the length of the shoe, but rather at a fixed position from the toe end. To this end, therefore, the valve means and actuator means therefor referred to above are positioned by the abutment member operating through a grading mechanism, which is effective to scale up the movement of the abutment member to equal the full amount of movement of the toe end engaging member.
Whereas this arrangement operates satisfactorily and furthermore the general construction arrangement of the machine leads to a satisfactory cycle time, it has been considered desirable to separate out the various setting up functions of the machine, and at the same time to improve on the cycle time, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved side lasting machine in which such objectives are achieved.